The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE In recent years of Michigan foot- ball recruiting — successful though those have been — the wins over Florida's "Big Three" of Mi- ami, Florida State, and Florida have been few and far between. Even in the rare in- stance that Michigan does earn a commit- ment from a player with offers from those three schools, such as 2015 receiver George Campbell, the risk of losing that prospect (as the Wolverines did with Campbell to Flor- ida State) looms large. That makes it all the more impressive that Michigan was able to enter the mix for Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic defensive end Shelton John- son very late in the process, and beat out both the Seminoles and the Hur- ricanes for his pledge. According to Atlantic head coach T.J. Jackson, the connection to U-M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin — who arrived in Ann Arbor after a four-year stint at the University of Florida — played a key role. Though the Gators did not offer Johnson, Durkin's familiarity helped identify him for the Maize and Blue. "I think Coach Durkin liked Shel- ton when he was at Florida," Jack- son explained. "They just carried over to him going to Michigan. Obviously Coach Durkin wanted to be able to have some input on where Shelton went. He said he wasn't going to let him stay in the state without having some- thing to say about it." Johnson whittled his list down over the course of his recruit- ment, and with the late entry by the Wol- verines, they managed to make the top four along with Virginia Tech (where he had family connections, including his coach Jackson, a cousin who played for the Hokies in the early 2000s) and in- state powers Florida State and Mi- ami. Most assumed that Johnson was bound to stay home and play for ei- ther the Seminoles or the Hurricanes. As word began to emanate from Johnson's camp that getting away from his home in South Florida (he's just an hour away from Miami by car) was more likely, Florida State became the odds-on favorite. His re- lationship with the Seminoles' staff was strong, and his performance at Defensive End Shelton Johnson Surprises With U-M Choice The Wolverines beat out in-state schools Florida State and Miami (Fla.) to land Johnson. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS